new guitar

[6twenty7]

Hi my name is Alex and I found this forum from searching Blueridge bg-40 comparison to Gibson J-45.

I am looking for a new guitar with a budget of 600-1200 dollars. I played with a friends Gibson J-45 true vintage and fell in love with it, but I cant justify the price. I am looking for a cheaper alternative and would be happy with something that produces a similar sound. Stated before I found many posts on the topic of the Blueridge Bg-40/140, but noticed that they're all really old some dating a decade earlier. When I search for them through guitar shops and amazon I notice the price has went up and cant find any decent used ones.

Has Blueridge come out with a better version of these guitars or are there other manufacturers in the past 5 years that make better affordable j-45 knock offs? Looking for your recommendations and knowledge on the matter and is the Blueridge BG-40 worth 600 dollars, I've seen posts years ago about getting this guitar with case for 300 dollars.

Thanks again! Looking forward to reading and chatting!

[Paddy1951]

If you can see your way financially, I would recommend you try to find a used Gibson J15. It won't sound identical to a vintage J45 but will have a good Gibson sound, pretty close.
Otherwise, the Eastman E10ss is a nice alternative, though it won't give you a J45 sound.
I do not think any of the J45 clones will give you a J45 sound. Some sound good but are their own sound. I think this will be true of the Blueridge clone as well, but I cannot say with certainty as I do not have one.

The J45 Studio is another good alternative but more expensive.

I have seen good J15s go for around $800.00.

J45s are pretty individual. Even a number of them won't all sound the same.
Good luck with your search.


Yet, another edit. I forgot bout this one. New, kind of a sleeper. Nice guitar. Good sound. Reasonable.

Check out the Guild Westerly DS240. It is patterned after the J45. (They don't say that directly but it is pretty obvious.)
I think the Guild Westerly guitars have proven to be very good guitars, certainly one of the best lines of imports and supported by a old line American guitar company.
I am interested in one of these myself.

[bluesfreek]

Have you seen the Epiphone Masterbuilt AJ-45ME?

http://www.epiphone.com/Products/Aco...5-AJ-45ME.aspx

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by Paddy1951

...I would recommend you try to find a used Gibson J15. It won't sound identical to a vintage J45 but will have a good Gibson sound, pretty close...

I've never played a J-15 I didn't like, and some I absolutely loved - frankly, I like them better than any non-vintage J-45 I've ever played...

[Goat Mick]

I would recommend a J-15 as well. They are awesome guitars and full of the Gibson tone. I think they're a very close cousin of a J-45.

[bil40272]

I have become a fan of the Slope shoulder dreads as of late.
I recently purchased the Martin DSS 17, and although it will not be mistaken for a J45, it does have that Slope Shoulder sound with that Martin sound mixed in.
I am still waiting on the chance to play the new 17 series from Taylor.
Another one you might find used would be the J35.
I had the chance to AB the 35, and the 45 at a GC a few years ago, and I preferred the 35.
Good luck with your search.

Bill

[Nyghthawk]

A used AJ-500 Epiphone Masterbilt can be found for $450 or so. They are long scale so more like the Gibson Advanced Jumbo than the J45.

The Epiphone AJ-45me has already been mentioned. Sweetwater also has a special version in Ebony with a gloss finish.

The J-15 is a close cousin to the J-45 and would likely get you as close to the sound you are looking for as you can find under a grand used.

[Triumph1050]

Another vote for the Epiphone Masterbilt AJ...

[Arch Stanton]

Seagulls have a nice loud clear tone, most have solid cedar tops, made in Canada and are priced well within your range. Or, 100 and 200 series Taylors.

[mcflyy]

Not sure if this helps or not, but if you're thinking Blueridge, Maury's is discontinuing carrying them and I picked up a BR-260A for close to half off! It plays and sounds amazing. They still have a few left within your budget. Once they're gone, that's it.

[Blueser100]

Welcome to the AGF, Alex! While I don't have any experience owning Gibsons, you will find lots of kind people around here who have and are happy to share their experiences and enthusiasm.

Having said that, I have owned a Blueridge BR-140 and it sure gave my Martin D18V a run for the money. I have played the Gibson J45 and the J15 and both are gorgeous sounding guitars, but different.

As some have already mentioned, you have a few options, from buying used, to considering other guitar models/brands that are within your price range and that may be close to what you are looking for, if not exactly.

Seagull S6's are really outstanding guitars in terms of price, quality and tone. It's got a big body and nice full bass.

Good luck on your search!

[kcnbys]

Another good option for you would be to check out the AMI JM-AG45. AMI is the American distributed version of Sigma Guitars out of Europe. These are VERY nice guitars very similar to a J-45, and in your price range. Here's a video comparison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyNP_hQcy1A

[Shortfinger]

Sweetwater's selling a demo of the Epi mentioned above for $629, which then allows the purchase of a Loudbox acoustic amp, a stand, nice leather strap, capo, picks, brass or glass slide, a few sets of strings and some tools, and a bag of Cheetos.

[6twenty7]

Thanks for all the replies guys! I'm going to head out to a local Guitar Center and play with a Gibson J-15.

[ii Cybershot ii]

You can even find the occasional used J45 for ~$1200.

Otherwise yea, try a J15 for sure.

Eastman E10ss would work as well.